reminder email to LOR professor Forum

[xqhp82]

I have asked my professor to write me a LOR earlier in May, it's been more than 1.5 months now and i believe my professor still hasn't started writing it. I asked him in person and he promised he is really eager to write me one and he said he'd do a great job on it, but then i know that he's quite a slacker in reality. in early June I asked him how's the letter going, he said he forgot about it and thanked me for reminding him, telling me he'd do it asap....but since then i haven't heard from him again. i know he sounds like a completely unreliable person, but he knows me best from the classes i've taken with him, so i really need his LOR submitted. I don't want to delay this any longer, if i want him to get it done by mid July, how can i write a polite email that does the job of basically demanding him to get things done RIGHT NOW?? i don't want to sound too pushy or disrespectful and my worst fear is him writing me a crap letter and turn it in the next day. so please give me some advice thanks.

[MURPH]

Speak to him in person. Be cool. Tell him you want to have the apps ready July 1st and if he could submit it by then that would really help make things smooth for you. Then go bug him July 2nd.

[xqhp82]

that would be ideal but i'm out of the country now....so email is the only way to bug him and i'm afraid it may not be very effective. but i will definitely try to talk to him about it first. Is two extra weeks a good enough time for him and not too demanding of me to write a good LOR?

[globallawyer]

I had the same issue last year. I was studying abroad in the fall while applying. Go ahead and email. One of my professors had forgotten and was glad I emailed her. If you're out of the country, there's not much else you can do.

[adameus]

just send him a polite email asking how he is progressing on your LOR. Fact is, you can't apply until September, so you don't really need to demand that he gets it done by July 1...